


don't tell your mother, kiss one another, die for each other

by anothermikaelson



Series: of wristrockets and skateboards [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Idiots in Love, SO MUCH FLUFF, i came up with this oneshot at 2am ok jeez, if lumax breaks in season 4 i'm rioting, kinda awkward but not really, lucas thinks max is adorable when her hair is soaking wet, max thinks lucas is an idiot, pillow talk!!, rainy nights and lumax, riverdale is corrupting me, sorry if the fluff isn't fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothermikaelson/pseuds/anothermikaelson
Summary: mrs. sinclair checks on lucas at 1am just as max climbs through the window.--aka lumax pillow talkaka the sinclairs are max's new familyaka how lucas got the nickname "don juan"aka meeting the parentsrated teen for language
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair
Series: of wristrockets and skateboards [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011171
Kudos: 26





	don't tell your mother, kiss one another, die for each other

**Author's Note:**

> title from demi lovato's "cool for the summer" 
> 
> post season 2, pre-season 3  
> so like...four-ish months into their relationship maybe?

It's raining outside. Loud. It's practically pouring. It's also so cold, there's condensation on the windows. The sound of the raindrops pattering on the window wakes Mrs. Sinclair, who decides to check to see if Erica and Lucas are warm enough, since it was literally just warm this afternoon. 

Mrs. Sinclair tiptoes quietly to Erica's room, where she's piled blankets and stuffed animals on her bed. She's also somehow snuck a heater into her room. Sighing, she closes the door, wrapping her robe around her tighter, hoping to quickly see how her son is doing, before heading back to sleep. It's one in the morning, after all. 

It's pretty hard to see Lucas in the dark from the door, since it opens to the foot of his bed. Luckily, though, it's a full moon tonight, and the moonlight streams through Lucas's window, making the shadows easier to see. 

She's literally just opened the door a crack when there's a soft knock. So soft she almost misses it. But Lucas hears it, and sits up to press something on his nightstand--the device he and Dustin spent two weeks figuring out how to make. Pressing one of the buttons unlocks the window and pops it open, the other closes it. It took extra hours after school with Mr. Clarke to work out the logistics and a little bit of electromagnetics to learn. 

As soon as Lucas presses the button, a gust of wind blows through the window, causing the leaves of the plant in his room to flap around. _What is he thinking?_ _And why is there someone at his window?,_ Mrs. Sinclair thinks. 

She's about to step in when Lucas sits up, mumbling something about it being late at night. Then someone walks in, soaking wet. A girl. Mrs. Sinclair has at least four different ideas of how to handle it, but decides to just watch and see what happens. 

The girl, who is kind of hard to see, seems to be wearing nothing but a jacket and a pair of jeans. Mrs. Sinclair is surprised she's not sick yet. She must've gotten here all on her own. 

Lucas stands up, and walks towards her, hugging her quickly and kissing the top of her head, before grabbing something from his drawer. The drawer he never lets Mrs. Sinclair open. From the drawer, Lucas brings out a duffel bag, and hands it to the girl. She can just make out the word, "Closet," as Lucas ushers the girl into his closet, and gets back into bed. 

The girl comes back out two minutes later in dry clothes that seem to be hers, and wrings out the water in her hair onto her wet clothes. She then turns on a night light that Mrs. Sinclair didn't know existed, kicks off her shoes, and climbs in _next to him._ Lucas props his head up on his elbow, facing the girl, as he talks to her, seemingly stroking her hair, before she gets closer. 

Knowing that she'll have to talk to them tomorrow, Mrs. Sinclair leaves, and goes back to sleep. 

* * *

There's a knock at the window. Lucas looks over and sees Max, soaking wet. Alarmed, he reaches over and opens the window for her. He sits up. "It's the middle of the night, MadMax." 

"I know, it's just...they're at it again," Max replies with a small voice. "For two hours this time. I had to leave." 

"Oh. I'm sorry." He crosses the room to envelop her in a tight hug, bring his arms around her torso, and planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Here, you need to change into something dry before you catch a cold." Lucas walks over to his drawers, opening the second one, to pull out Max's emergency duffel bag. "Just change in my closet. There's enough space, okay?" Max gives him a small smile before heading over to the closet to change. 

Max decides on a yellow t-shirt and a black sweater, and blue pajama pants. Stepping outside, she gets her wet clothes and wrings out the rainwater in her hair into them, spreading her clothes out on the chair by the window, so the clothes will dry faster. She goes to the outlet next to the nightstand, where a night light Lucas had to buy sits, since Max has a fear of the dark, which isn't too surprising, with the last attack. 

Finger-combing her hair one last time, she takes off her shoes and slips in next to Lucas, who props himself up on his elbow to talk to her, running his fingers through her now-damp locks. "You could've called. I would've opened the door for you. You wouldn't have had to climb up onto the second floor window." 

Max melts at the softness in his voice. "I didn't want Neil or Billy to hear. The walls are pretty thin, and they already don't like you that much. You know that." Her brain flashes back to the events of the night Billy attacked Lucas, then Steve. "Billy isn't such a jerk anymore after the incident, but he'd definitely tell Neil. And if he told him, well...Billy would have to take it for me, and I don't want him to be in trouble because of me." She inches closer to his warmth, since she's pretty much an ice cube in comparison to him. "And I'm also cold, so can you hug me?" 

Lucas smiles, and puts his arms around her. She shivers slightly against him, but relaxes considerably. "That better?" 

"Mhm," she mumbles. "Can we just stay like this for a while?" 

"Yeah." There's a few minutes of silence, only broken every thirty seconds when Max shivers slightly. "So how'd you get here on your own in the rainstorm?" 

"I ran here. It's only a half-hour walk, but I ran here in fifteen." 

"Are you shitting me, Max? You _ran_ here in the freaking rainstorm! You're lucky I'm this close to you right now. I could catch a cold from you." 

Max looks up at her boyfriend, her eyelids slowly drooping. "Are you mad?" 

"Not mad, just...concerned. Don't do that ever again, do you hear me? You could've gotten seriously injured!" Lucas rubs circles on Max's back. "Promise me you won't do that ever again." 

"I know, I just wanted to see you. I just couldn't really take it anymore. I bet they're still arguing right now, too." Max adjusts herself to a more comfortable position. "But I promise. I won't do this again. Unless I feel like it." 

Lucas inwardly groans, but smiles. "Okay." 

Max pulls Lucas in closer. "I'm sorry," she mumbles into his shoulder, sounding sleepy. "You're going to have to sneak me out tomorrow, though." 

"Anything for you, MadMax." 

"Don't get all sappy on me, Stalker." 

Lucas laughs. "Alright." He stares at Max, focusing on the way her eyelids keep trying to stay open, when Max is on the verge of falling asleep. The way her damp hair flows so easily through his fingers, the way Max's eyelashes flutter slightly when she blinks, the way her cheeks stay pink no matter what, and the way her freckles seem to dance along the band of her nose. 

"What?" 

"Hm?" 

"You're staring again. You really are a stalker. So what are you thinking about?" 

"Nothing, it's just that...you're really cute when you're tired. And you're absolutely beautiful." 

Max turns so red, her hair suddenly looks lighter. "Well, way to make me feel like one of the girls in those stupid romance movies." 

"I'm not lying, though. You really are pretty." 

"Okay, Don Juan." Max flashes a grin in Lucas's direction, and he feels his defenses come crashing down. How did he end up so lucky? 

"Don Juan?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

Lucas sighs. "How did I end up with someone like you in the first place?" 

The redhead closes her eyes. "I beat Dustin at Dig Dug. Then you guys dragged your asses to invite me trick-or-treating with you guys. Do you want me to write a book?" She yawns. 

Lucas pulls the blankets closer. "You tired, MadMax?" 

"Yeah." She yawns again. "Can you tell me a story, Stalker?" She asks, in a smaller and softer voice than he's ever heard her speak in. 

"Okay. Here, turn around first." Max turns around, her back against Lucas's chest. He's learned the hard way that Max sucker punches people sometimes in her sleep. "So, it was October 30, 1984. A group of friends found out their video game record had been beaten, and were determined to find out who it was." 

"I asked for a story, not an autobiography." 

"Shut up and let me continue." Max groans and silences. "Then in class, a new girl walked in. She had the most beautiful wavy strawberry blonde hair that floated around her shoulders, blue eyes that looked like sapphires, and a band of seventy-two freckles across the band of her nose. Twenty-two on the left cheek, thirty-four on the right, and sixteen on her nose. She had on a red jacket with white stripes, a lighter shirt underneath, and a pair of light blue jeans. She skateboarded all throughout recess, and dropped off a note in the trash to the group of friends, that said, 'Stop spying on me, creeps!'"

"You stalker, did you actually count my freckles?" Max asks, scooting closer to Lucas. 

"Yes. Last time you stayed over, I couldn't sleep." 

Max laughs softly. "Okay, that's enough. I don't need a retelling of my life in Hawkins, Stalker. I'm tired. Goodnight." 

Lucas presses a kiss to Max's neck, then her cheek. "'Night, beautiful." 

"Oh, shut up." 

* * *

It's eight in the morning when Lucas hears someone clearing their throat by the door. He springs up, letting go of Max almost instantly. She stays asleep however, and doesn't even stir, scooting closer to Lucas's warmth. "Mom?" 

"I need an explanation. You let a girl creep into your room at one in the morning soaking wet, and spend the night?" Mrs. Sinclair's hands are on her hips. 

Lucas holds his hands up. "You saw?!" His mother nods. "Mom, it's kind of complicated. Her home life isn't exactly great. She needed to get away. She ran here on her own. She ran almost two and a half miles in the rainstorm. I had to let her in." 

Mrs. Sinclair's eyes soften. "Sweetie, you should've said something. We could've let her stay in the guest room." 

"She would sneak in here in the middle of the night." 

"Okay. Well, when she wakes, tell her to come down for breakfast. We'll be downstairs." 

"'Kay." 

**

Half an hour later, Max stirs. "Hm? Morning, Stalker." 

"Good morning, gorgeous." Lucas drops a kiss on her cheek.

"Yeah, no." She sits up. "So, should we get out before someone comes in?" 

"Yeah...about that. Mom saw us last night. She wants to meet you at breakfast. I kind of explained everything." 

"Oh. Okay." 

Lucas puts an arm around her. "It's fine, Maxi." 

"Did you just call me _Maxi?_ " 

"You don't like it?" 

"No, it's just...new. I'm not calling you Lukey, though." 

Lucas scrunches up his nose. "Yeah, don't." 

"Okay." 

"Here, you should go wash up. Your extra toothbrush, toothpaste, and washcloth are in the bag." 

Max yawns and stands up. "Okay. I'll change while I'm at it. Give me five minutes." 

"Alright." 

Max steps into the hallway, hearing the distinct laughter downstairs. When was the last time her "family" had a laugh in a conversation? Probably back before the divorce. She goes into the bathroom, brushing her teeth quickly and changing into a pair of jeans. At the last minute, she decides to take off the jacket and throw on her favorite grey hoodie. She grabs the bag, throwing her pajamas in, and takes it back into Lucas's room, putting it back in the drawer. 

Lucas looks up. "Alright, you ready?" 

"Uh, I guess." Max puts on a smile, and Lucas slips his hand into hers to reassure her. 

"You'll be fine, Maxi." 

"I'm starting to rethink whether or not I'm letting you call me that." 

"Let's go." He leads her down the stairs, where his parents and sister are eating pancakes. "Morning!" Lucas calls to his family. 

Mrs. Sinclair looks up, eyes warm. "Morning, both of you." 

Mr. Sinclair looks up, slightly surprised to see Max, but not as surprised as Max thought he'd be. Maybe Mrs. Sinclair told him in advance. Erica, however, turns around and gawks. 

"Take a seat, you two. Don't be shy." Max nervously sits down next to Lucas, making sure their hands are still joined under the table. 

"Uh, Mom, Dad, Erica, this is Max. Max, this is my little sister Erica, and my parents." Lucas gestures to each person. 

"Nice to meet you guys. Sorry if it's a little awkward-" Max begins. 

"No, it's fine, honey." Mrs. Sinclair hands the syrup over to Lucas. "Lucas told me about you, a little. He talks about you all the time. I believe we met your stepbrother, Billy, a few months back." Her eyes darken. "How is he?" 

"He'll leave us alone now. I made sure of that." Max gives her a small smile, and Lucas passes her the syrup. She sneezes into her arm just as she holds it in her hands. "Excuse me." 

"Max, I told you you'd get a cold," Lucas says, worried. Mrs. Sinclair softens at the sight of her son being so concerned. 

"I'm fine, Stalker--" Max catches herself. "Lucas." 

"Stalker?" Mr. Sinclair echoes. 

"Max is a video game legend and she beat Dustin's record, so we kept an eye on her to see if she was the one who beat him," Lucas says quickly. 

Mrs. Sinclair laughs. "Well, that'll teach you not to creep on people, Lucas." 

Max feels a warm sensation in her chest. Is this what a family feels like? To have people care for you? She sneezes again, and Lucas turns to her again. "Okay, maybe I have a cold." 

Lucas laughs. "Okay. You should spend the day here, then." 

Mrs. Sinclair nods. "You can take the couch, Max. Don't worry about us, just take it easy today." She seems to realize how much Max wants to stay, right then. 

Max smiles. "Thank you." Lucas helps her to the couch, dropping a kiss on her forehead after bringing a blanket. 

**

Three hours later, Mrs. Sinclair is making a lunch that smells amazing, Lucas is sitting on the couch with Max's legs draped over his lap again, Erica is up in her room, and Mr. Sinclair is at work. "Lucas?" 

Lucas looks down at Max. "Yeah?" 

"Thank you." 

"You're welcome, MadMax." 

"And also..." She pauses. "You're pretty cute, too." 

Lucas blushes a little. "Yeah, well, you're beautiful." He leans in to kiss her, and she kisses him back. 

"Get a room, you two," Erica stands at the bottom of the steps. 

"This was our room before you got in here, Erica!" Lucas says, exasperated. 

"Oh well, it's not yours anymore." Erica plants herself on the chair across from them. 

"Well, we don't care." Lucas smiles widely before kissing Max again. 

Erica wails again, louder. But Mrs. Sinclair doesn't stop them. 


End file.
